Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Zimbabwe’s First Lady Awarded PhD 2 Months After Enrollment

Dozens of
Zimbabweans have vented their outrage on social media after president
Robert Mugabe’s wife was awarded a PhD only two months after she
enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe, where her husband is chancellor.

Local media reported that Grace Mugabe was awarded her doctorate in
sociology at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). It is understood that for
her thesis, Mrs Mugabe conducted a study of children’s homes in
Zimbabwe.
State broadcaster ZBC reported that the first lady said she had to work hard to earn the degree.
However, UZ lecturer Professor Greg Linnington told local newspaper,
the Standard, that a doctorate involved writing a thesis and that would
often take several years to complete.
“A doctorate involves writing a thesis, after having a research
question prepared, writing a proposal and then writing the thesis where
one needs to research it, critique it then it can be marked, but that
could take a few years,” he said.
“It however varies with individuals to complete. Some just do a
thesis while others might do one with some course work, but usually it’s
a minimum of three years.”
Another lecturer and university administrator who spoke under
condition of anonymity, said people would need a good Master’s degree in
order to enrol for a doctorate.
“One would need to make various presentations of each phase during
the studies. One also needs to publish their work in a renowned academic
journal,” he said.
“The process of research until writing the final thesis takes between
three and seven years and for one to pass and be awarded a PhD, they
have to make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge.”
The First Lady completed her first degree in Chinese Language in 2011.